La Chacarita Cemetery

Cementerio de la Chacarita

A corner in one of the cemetery's many paths.
Details
Year established	1887
Location	Buenos Aires
Country	Argentina
Type	Public
Size	95 hectares (230 acres)

Mausoleum in the Chacarita Cemetery.

The Spanish-Argentine Mutual Society pantheon.

Cementerio de la Chacarita in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is known as the National Cemetery and is the largest in Argentina.

Location

The cemetery is in the barrio or district of Chacarita, in the northern part of Buenos Aires. Its main entrance is at 780 Guzmán Street.

History

The cemetery owes its existence to a yellow fever epidemic in 1871, when existing cemeteries were strained beyond capacity (the upscale La Recoleta Cemetery refused to allow the burial of victims of the epidemic). Students of the College of San Carlos appropriated 5 hectares (12.35 acres) in the adjoining Colegiales area for this purpose, but had their facility closed by the city in 1886. The New Chacarita Cemetery began to function in 1887 and was formally designated as such in 1896.

Chacarita Cemetery has designated areas for members of the Argentine artistic community, including writers, prominent composers and actors. The late justicialist leader Juan Perón was buried here until his remains were relocated in 2006 to a mausoleum in his former home in San Vicente, Buenos Aires.

British and German Cemeteries

See also: Cementerio Británico

In the 19th century a large number of Britons came to Argentina to work in the many areas of the economy in which England then had extensive interests. At first the British Cemetery was founded beside the Socorro Chapel (started 1821 - authorized on 22 February 1822). In 1833 the cemetery had to move to what was then called Victoria Cemetery (today the "Plaza 1° de Mayo") until November, 1892, when they were asked by the Municipality to move. Section 16 of the Chacarita Cemetery was given in exchange for the Victoria Cemetery. Eventually in 1913 the British Cemetery (or so called "De Disidentes or Corporación del Cementerio Británico de Bs. As.") was divided into the German and the British Cemetery as we know them today, because the two local communities has grown since the beginning of the 19th century.

The British Cemetery and the German Cemetery are not now part of or run by Chacarita Cemetery.

Notable interments Chacarita Cemetery

People buried in the chacarita cemetery include:

• Carlos Acuña (1914–1989), tango singer, composer
• José Alonso (trade-unionist) (1917–1970)
• Elías Antúnez (1906–1957), thoroughbred racing jockey
• Cosme Argerich (1758–1820), doctor and pioneer of military field medicine
• Paquita Bernardo (1900–1925), musician, composer
• Eduardo Vicente Bianco (1892–1959), musician
• Oscar Bonavena (1942–1976), heavyweight boxer
• Clemar Bucci (1920–2011), race car driver
• Graciela Cabal (1939–2004), author of children's stories
• Enrique Cadícamo (1900–1999), author, songwriter.
• Jeannette Campbell (1916–2003), swimmer
• Evaristo Carriego (1883–1912), poet, journalist
• Alberto Castillo (1914–2002), tango singer
• Cátulo Castillo (1906–1975), musician, composer, poet, boxer
• Mario Cosentino (1930–2000), jazz musician
• Juan d'Arienzo (1900–1976), orchestra leader
• Julio de Grazia (1929–1989), actor, director
• Alejandro De Michele (1954–1983), rock singer
• Ulises Dumont (1937–2008), cinema and stage actor
• Óscar Alfredo Gálvez (1913–1989), race car driver
• Ricardo Gamero "Mister Chassman" (1938–1999), ventriloquist
• Carlos Gardel (1890–1935), major tango singer, actor
• José María Gatica (1925–1963) boxer
• Severino Di Giovanni (1901–1931), Italian anarchist
• Roberto Goyeneche (1926–1994), tango singer
• Paul Groussac (1848–1929), French-born writer, historian
• Bernardo Houssay (1887–1971), Nobel Prize in Medicine
• Maurice Jouvet (1923–1999), French-born actor
• Ángel Labruna (1918–1983), soccer player
• Inda Ledesma (1926–2010), actress
• Irineo Leguisamo (1903–1985), thoroughbred racing jockey
• Madre María Loredo (1854–1928), faith "healer"
• Agustín Magaldi (1898–1938), singer
• Azucena Maizani (1902–1970), tango songstress
• Mona Maris (1903–1991), actress
• Lola Membrives (1888–1969), actress
• Zully Moreno (1920–1999), actress
• Jorge Newbery (1875–1914), pioneer aviator, sportsman
• Alberto Olmedo (1933–1988), comedian
• Sabina Olmos (1913–1999), actress and singer
• Pappo (1950–2005), musician, cremated here, his ashes were scattered in a Buenos Aires park.
• Adolfo Pedernera (1918–1995), soccer player
• Ivo Pelay (1893–1959), poet, playwright
• Pascual Pérez (1926–1977), Olympic and World champion boxer
• Juan Domingo Perón (1895–1974), Politician
• Pablo Podestá (1875–1923), actor
• Jorge Porcel (1936–2006), comedian
• Osvaldo Pugliese (1905–1995), pianist
• Benito Quinquela Martín (1890–1977), painter
• Raúl Riganti (1893–1970), racecar driver
• Chela Ruiz (1921–1999), actress
• Luis Sandrini (1905–1980), comedian
• Mercedes Simone (1904–1990), tango songstress, composer
• Osvaldo Soriano (1943–1997), novelist
• Alfonsina Storni (1892–1938), poet
• Juan Carlos Thorry (1908–2000), actor, entertainer
• Lolita Torres (1930–2002), actress, singer
• Aníbal Troilo (1914–1975), musician
• Héctor Yazalde (1946–1997), soccer player
• Marcos Zucker (1921–2003), actor

Notable interments at the British Cemetery Corporation include

• Lucas Bridges (1874–1949), Anglo-Argentine author.
• Thomas Bridges (1842–1898), Anglican missionary.
• Juan Bautista Thorne, b. March 8, 1807 d. August 8, 1885 – Army Colonel, fought in important battles as: Pozos, Patagones, Martín García, Vuelta de Obligado and Quebracho.

• Juan Jacobo Bajarlía, b. October 5, 1914 d. July 22, 2005 – Poet, essayist and novelist.

• Bárbara Virginia Bourse Herrera b. December 19, 1947 – Famed singer.

• Frank Brown - A popular English Clown

• Alexander Watson Hutton (b. June 10, 1853 d. March 9, 1936) - Founder of Argentine Soccer.

• Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, (b. May 5, 1924 d. September 8, 1978) - acclaimed Argentine film director

• Mario Passano - actor

Notable interments at the German Cemetery include

• Hans Langsdorff (1894–1939), Captain of the World War II cruiser Admiral Graf Spee

External links

• La Chacarita Cemetery cultural historical heritage rescue webpage by Hernán Santiago Vizzari (Spanish)
• Unofficial site
• Google Maps
• British Cemetery Corporation of Buenos Aires by Eduardo A. Kesting (Spanish) / (English)